MMA Fighting - Escape From Kyiv | One Fighter’s Harrowing Push To Forge Her Own Rocky Story

Episode Date: March 24, 2022

MMA Fighting's Mike Heck brings you the story of PFL lightweight Olena Koleznyk, and how Russia's invasion of her country Ukraine turned her world upside down. In this mini-documentary, Koleznyk shares her journey from Kyiv to Las Vegas, the help she received along the way, how close she was to going back to join the army before a conversation with her family took that option off the table, fighting for more than just herself, and more. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to the Vox Media Podcast Network. On February 23rd, lightweight fighter Helena Kolesnik's day was like any other. She woke up, trained, and put in the work for the upcoming season of the Professional Fighters League. As she was ready to call it a night, Kolesnik got her gear ready for training the next day. Her head hit the pillow and went to sleep, just like normal. What she didn't know was that her life and the history of her country was about to change forever. Russia invaded Ukraine, and it set off a chain of events few in her country could have ever imagined. After concern from family and friends and an unforgettable conversation with her mother, father, and sister,

Kolesnik set out on a journey from Kiev to Las Vegas, Nevada, one that left her with uncertainty and some regret, but also with an opportunity to create one of the most remarkable stories in MMA history. With a heavy heart and a newly found focus, Kolesnik will have an opportunity. to win a title, a million dollars, the chance to change her life, her family's life, and maybe, just maybe, give some additional hope to a country, her country that is in the midst of a horrifying time in history. It changed everything. I have great, great life in Ukraine, as a lot of us, regular civil life.

My biggest scare that my country never be the same as she was before. I'm Mike Kack from MMA Fighting Doctor. Fighting.com and this is the story of Helena Kolesnik's harrowing quest from a real-life horror movie in hopes of creating her own Rocky story. On February 24th, after months of wondering if it would ever get to that point, Russia began their launch of a devastating assault on Ukraine, which declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. After decades of percolation, things had officially boiled over to the worst case scenario. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians have died and several thousand more have been wounded in what has turned out to be a nightmare for the

country. While many Ukrainians believed that it could happen, others stayed positive with their hopes. One of those individuals, PFL lightweight fighter Helena Kolesnik, a competitor getting prepared to begin her 2022 season for the promotion who had her world turned upside down in an instant. I still think I like take part in horror movie, you know, which I cannot stop because I don't see when the end of this movie. I cannot even predict when the end of the movie. With the help of friends, coaches, teammates, and promotional officials, Kolesnik was able to travel from Ukraine to Las Vegas to continue training for her chance at a PFL title and a million dollars.

Money that could not only change her life, but her family's life. The 32-year-old went to bed like any other night on February 23rd with thoughts of getting ready for the next day. wake up, prepare for the day, train, etc. On that day, that didn't happen. So when War Come, I was in Kiev in capital. And I was in preparation for my fights in PFL. So, and all my stuff, all my equipment, everything, like, was there. And when I heard the alarms, I cannot believe, like, and people start to call me at 5 a.m.

my parents, my friends from my hometown from Odessa like Helen, war star. I said, how? With whom? You know, with who wars? Which war? What are you talking about? I see her, I don't know, maybe it's like a soldier study. I didn't believe, you know? So and they said, no, it's fucking real, you know. I said, and then like, I said, no, come on, like, I don't believe you. Maybe they just study and prepare for something. No, this is impossible. I'm just still like, I think this is my mental, like, try to protect me to, from reality, you know. So, but then I look out the window.

It was like already 6 a.m. And people take kids, take, like, cats and just run with suitcases. They run everywhere. They just run out, out. I live in the house with 22 floors and can you imagine they just all run out of the house

and I was something I think in something definitely wrong you know when I saw in the sky the soldier plans I'm not sure how in English it'd say you know but you never

mistake when you see them like from regular plans, you know? I understand it starts. And when I heard the bomb coming in Kiev, I said, whoa, so it's true, it's real. It's not just rumors or, you know, and then, like, my friends tell me you need to get out from there. But the reason is, like, a lot of people on the street,

everybody runs somewhere. I just don't understand what I need to do, you know? As Kolesnik stood at a crossroads between confusion and borderline panicking, she received a phone call from a friend who seemed to have a better grasp with what was going on. Hearing his voice on the other end of the line turned things up a notch, so much so that the distance between maybe and definite was closing in. Then my friend, my close friend, who unfortunately, like now he must be at home because he were attacked recently. He's a wife, but he's a bad position. He cannot be in hospital because in

hospital is still dangerous. So, and he called me, Helen, just take your documents and you have 10 minutes, run near the underground. I will pick you on the car and I will take you from out from the city. I said, is this real? He said, run. Just take your documents and run. And I'm so lucky because till we're driving from the Kiev to my hometown, I see a lot of the, I see tanks, I had bombs. I don't know how describe you, but like for me now, I cannot even listen like loud music or movies, watching movies because like I saw a movie in my life. life, you know. But it was a movie. And now, like, as I told you, I wake up and I go to sleep within use because I'm scared if I'm scared that I can miss that one more of my friend didn't die,

you know? According to Kolesnik, around an hour after she fled, a house two doors down from where she lived was destroyed, which became more of a realization that she made the right choice although, admittedly, she wasn't fully there just yet. With just one bag in her documents in hand, Kolesnik would begin her journey. A three-and-a-half-hour drive through smoke, rubble, and soldier-filled roads led to her first stop, Moldova. During that drive, and the day she spent over there where tanks were prevalent, Kalesnik began to think she needed to head back to her country and join the army. Like other fighters such as Belator Welterweight Champion Yaroslav Amosov,

Boxers Vasily Lomachenko and Alexander Usik, amongst others. A conversation with her family, more specifically her mother, changed her viewpoint for good. Kolesik knew right there and then she couldn't go back. She said, Helen, like you spent all your life in sport, and it's your dream, and sport can protect you, and then you can help us too, you know. My mom and my dad and my sister, you know, they all tell me a call on, like, don't do it. We're not to forgive you if you come back. Because now you are a hope.

Because even if war stopped, the economy fall down so much. And we don't know how much time we need to come back economy for Ukraine, you know? So the reason is like I will be the one person who, who can support my family. So now they're all on my shoulders. Now I have responsibility not for myself, from all my family. So, and they tell me like,

if you come back, we're not forgive you. You must go. So, but there is no days where I'm not cry and not think, like, am I right, you know? I start training. The gym is great, you know, the training is great. And it takes my thoughts about bad things just for a while out, you know. But still it's hard.

But still it's hard. And like every day, like every hour I text them, I speak with them, I ask them, send me pictures, like selfie, you know. It's hard. And it's hard because you never know, like you speak with the person today, and you never know if you speak with person tomorrow. So it is my reality now.

And you know, before I never speak so much, the word I love you. But now I text all my friends, all my relatives, like I love you. And we will. will speak soon, you know, like everything will be okay. I love you because every day can be the last day. Thanks to the unselfish and giving nature of the Moldovan people giving her hope,

Kolesnik would then hop on a bus to Romania, then moved on to Bulgaria, then to Istanbul. From there, she hopped on an airplane to Qatar before connecting on another flight to Los Angeles, then finding her new home away from home in Las Vegas. Extreme Couture head coach Eric Nixick had been made aware of what was going on by one of his fighters and did not hesitate even for a second to offer a helping hand. It was all Serena Desoos. She wrote me this super long text message kind of explaining the situation. And I just wrote back, done, like, whatever you need.

We got her. That's it. No problem. She's like, well, what did she need to pay? What is it? What is I going, nothing. Just bring her here. We'll take care of her.

Let's get her a place. And, you know, Serena was doing all the legwork. But she just wanted to make sure that she had a place to train and she was welcome. And she literally left with nothing. She has no clothes, no gear, no anything. So, you know, thankfully, I have a bunch of stuff from Hayibusa and some other things. I think Serena hooked her up. And she came to the gym and she's been in the room for the last, I think, almost two weeks now.

But she's been great. And it's really all been facilitated on Serena. DeHeses, a Bannamweight fighter for Invicta FC, was constantly reaching out to Kolesnik. as the invasion was going on. De Jesus could sense that her friend didn't initially believe things were as dire as they became, but knew that Kalesnik needed to get out of there. As much as she could, De Jesus got the ball rolling and continues to make sure that Kolesnik has everything she needs. So me and Elena had been friends for about a year. She came out to train with me in Las Vegas last year, and no one else would train with her because she's so big. And then there's me, it's like,

coming in a big beautiful bitch and like we kicked each other's ass was awesome and then you know she laughed and you know we kept in contact because like she was a really good person and i'm watching the news and i'm seeing all this happening i'm like oh my god like is she going to be okay like does she have plans and first and foremost actually message her i'm trying to make sure that this information that i'm seeing all over the news in the states is accurate so i message her like and she's like She kind of put it up like, well, she's kind of like in the whatever happens happens, but I don't think she believed it was going to get to that point. So of course, when it did get to that point, I was basically talking to her on Instagram,

like she was telling me what's going on. So I'm staying up to like three in the morning, you know, every day just to make sure she's alive, she's safe and to see what the hell is going on. Because even though I'm on the other side of the world, you know, there has to to be some sort of responsibility, you know, to your friends and to people in crisis. There has to be at least some baseline in every person's life, some sense of responsibility to help it, whatever degree they can. And this is my, this is how I am.

I help people. And I'm like, I had the means that, you know, do good for my friends. So that's what I was going to do. So she was telling me about how she came to America and then she came and she came here. She was a little bit of a mess, you know, I did what I could. helped her get the things she could, kept in contact. And to this day, I've been still helping her with everything she needs to get settled because it's a hard process.

Like she has to deal with the fact like she still has family over in the Ukraine. And she's trying to win money and win fights so she can provide for her family all in the middle of a war zone. It's horrible. I couldn't imagine myself in this situation. With a couple of boxes checked in terms of a landing spot and the, a place to train. Kolesnik was moving forward towards making sure the wishes of her family were met. There was one more hurdle to clear. How is she going to book those flights to get to the United States in the middle of a war zone? Enter the PFL, most notably the promotion's president,

Ray Zepho, a man who Kolesnik can't thank enough. Right. So I, you know, obviously, just to give anybody else, saw what was happening in the, you know, on the news over there. So I contacted her and a few others and just, you know, saying, hey, I'm hearing that this was about to happen. So, you know, just check me in make sure you guys are okay. And they were like, yeah, you know, we're hearing some things too, but we have no idea. So they had no idea, including Elena as well, until it happened, you know, and then when bombs started flying and whatnot. So then I reached out again and she was in tears. Like she was literally trying to get out as is everybody else. And so I talked to the team and Jim, myself, and Pete, we're going to cover

everything that needs to be done. Said, yeah, we got to help her and get her out of there. So we did. Now that she has safely arrived in Las Vegas, Kolesnik began to turn things up a notch. According to Nixik and to Hesus, there's a different look in Kolesnik's eyes. You see a lot more of her intentions. You see that she's carrying something more right now. And I think that she understands that she has this opportunity where back at home, there are people that are fighting for their lives right now, and now she has the opportunity to be somewhere where she can compete. And I think that she's doing that because she wants to make sure that she's holding that standard,

if you will, like she has this opportunity and she's not going to waste it. That it would be a shame if she's out here and not doing the right things in training and getting better and furthering her career with this opportunity that she has. because most people don't have it right now. So she's been amazing in the room. I'm super, super glad that she's here because she just really makes room a lot better. It's a lot of perspective amongst the rest of us

as far as coaches and fighters go. Like we just get to wake up every day and come to this gym and love life and do everything we're doing. And this poor woman has been uprooted from her family and from her country and really is fighting for something bigger. I think she's zeroed in.

It's not like, It's not like she wasn't zeroed in last year. Like, you know, last year, you know, she's a little bit more lighthearted and everything. Like, yeah, she's still hit like a fucking truck. I can tell the tone has changed for her. She's a bit more focused. Like the games are not a big thing anymore with her. Like, she's all in with her training.

And man, I don't want to see whatever girls in further because she's probably going to tear that poor girl apart. The gym has been an escape in a lot of ways for Kolesnik, but there isn't a single moment that she's in the room trying to improve her skills that she's not thinking about her family, friends, and fellow countrymen and women who are in Ukraine trying to stay alive. I cannot explain it by words, but my mind never be the same as it was before. I'm motivated like not 100, like 1,000 percent. Not only like, as I told you, like my family, all my people. I'm still one to win the fights.

And I still want to have my country. I still want to have my people. And I'm proud to be Ukrainian. I'm proud to be the time from Ukraine. Because our people is unique with all respect to all nations, you know. But we're open, we're sharing. When we see someone in trouble, we always give hands. So now on my shoulders not only my family, all my country.

And a lot of fighters guys, a lot of great fighters, my friends, they go to army now. I'm proud of these guys. They are really brave. So I pray for Ukraine. I pray for all of them. I will do my best. And this situation is hard to say this. It's hard to say this. situation gives you power, but in some kind, yeah, it's motivate you like every minute, every second when you're in the gym. You always think about it. You always think about your people, always, every minute, every second, you're in Ukraine, even if you're not there, but you think about it. For Coach Nixik, it's his hope that extreme Couture can provide Kolesnik and outlet she can be proud of. On the flip side, DeHesus wants that for her friend as well, but also achieved

the greatness that could come along with it. Make the PFL playoffs, make it to the finals, win that million dollars. And somewhere along the way, hand the first owl to multi-time champion and millionaire Kayla Harrison. But moreover, I just think that second chance opportunity to fight for her country right now and give herself a platform to her, she can speak on these things, but also do it with her craft and her art, but also, you know, it's just tough, man. It's really hard seeing some of the things that everybody's going through out there. And, you know, I know that she's carrying that in her heart. So just to be able to go out and perform and just do it for her country,

I think it's going to be very important for us. I hope Olena makes it to the top. I hope she gets the fight with Kayla. I hope she runs through all the other girls. And I hope that through her fighting, through her hard work, she can represent her country proudly and show that despite all the everything wrong that's happening, that there is a beacon of light and she can be a beacon of light for the rest of her people in Ukraine.

That's my hope. If that does indeed happen, Sefo, who has seen it all in the world of mixed martial arts, believes it would not only be an amazing accomplishment, but it would assure that Kolesnik would take her place in the history books. I would have to say probably the top story, to have not only be in the midst of a war, then being able to get out and then have to travel four or five days to get to somewhere that she can.

actually fly out and then make it to the states and then put all that together and then put us off through a camp i mean that's just an amazing story in itself and so yeah i would have to say that would that would have to rank number one up there there are two films that have stood the test of time in terms of motivation for kolesnik the original rocky movie starring sylvester stallone and the fighter starring mark walberg playing the role of lowell massachusetts boxer mickey ward while those two Films have made a big impact on the combat sports storytelling landscape. Kolesnik is ready to let her mind, heart, and spirit create the happiest of endings and put a bow on a tale that began with pandemonium, but concluded with a whole lot of triumph.

Now I'm rocky, like one bag with documents and mobile, so I'm definitely rocking out. My movie became reality. My favorite movie became reality. It's so easy to give up, you know, just stay. or finish this life, it's really easy. The most hard to keep going this life, to pass every challenge by challenge, by challenge, by challenge. This is hard, you know. So like my favorite politics, Winston Churchill said, like never give up in any cases, never, never, never give up.

Can you imagine what I will tell to my grandchild, your grandma passed pandemic, your grandma passed war, Whoa, what a life your grandma has. I try to keep, to be positive in this hard time, you know. If Elena Kolesnik will be one to watch this season for the Professional Fighters League, which will begin on May 6th for the Women's Lightweight Division at East Sports Stadium, Arlington, in Texas. As of now, Kolesnik's opponent has not been revealed. Win or lose, much like her former Ukraine national boxing teammate Marina Morose did at UFC 272,

There is hope that Kolesnik can provide a boost, some positivity, and most importantly, pride to her country. And if she can win the championship and the million dollars, it would be an incredible ending that even the greatest script writer couldn't have penned. I want to thank Elena Kolesnik for her time, her candor, and her openness in telling her story. She was very brave in a difficult situation, and it's my hope that it can inspire others. I also want to thank Eric Nixick and Serena DeHasus for giving the coach, teammate, and friend's side of the situation, as well as the PFL, Greg Savage, and PFL President Ray Seffo. Kudos to all of you for stepping in to help a fighter in need and your assistance in helping to tell the story. I also want to thank the crew at MMA fighting for giving me the motivation to once again step out of my comfort zone, especially deputy editor and teammate Sean Al Shadi, who took the walk with me and helped guide me in putting the story together. And of course, a big shout out to all the MMA fighting readers and listeners for giving me the

chance to share this tale with all of you. This was the story of Elena Kolesnik's harrowing quest from a real-life horror movie in hopes of creating her own Rocky story. The pandemic of war, you beat Kayla Harrison, you win the million dollars. I mean, this would be the best story of all time. You could write a book on this. Even movie, you know? Yeah, what a movie that would be.

Forget Rocky and forget the fighter. This is the movie right here. My favorite director is Garici, so I would like to take part in such movie, honestly.